image credit: profilekiss.com
image credit: rimbundahan.org
image credit: anujpatel.wordpress.comHabitat: Southeast Asia, Melanesian Islands, and India
This is the Paradise Tree Snake of the genus Chrysopelea. It is one of five species of “flying” snakes, which are actually gliders rather than fliers. It’s very popular in the European pet trade for this very reason and it can reach up to 3 ft in length. It is considered one of the best gliders of the five species.
It’s pretty cool that flying snakes are able to glide farther than flying squirrels and other gliding animals despite their lack of limbs, wings, or any other wing-like projections. It can glide up to 100 meters through the leafy canopy of the forests it lives in!
To aim where they want to go, the snakes are mostly controlled by ballistics but they can also modify their trajectory by “slithering” in the air.
Watch this absolutely AMAZING footage of the Paradise Tree Snake in action:
